Qom | Iran | Britannica.com Iran Qom, also spelled Qum , city , capital of Qom province, north-central Iran . The city lies on both banks of the Rūd-e Qom and beside a salt desert, the Dasht-e Kavīr , 92 miles (147 km) south of Tehrān . Dome of the Shrine of Fāṭimah, Qom, Iran. Kurt Scholz/Shostal Associates In the 8th century Qom was one of the centres of Shīʿite Islam . In 816 Fāṭimah , the sister of the eighth imam of the Twelver Shīʿites, ʿAlī al-Riḍā, died in the town and was buried there. It became a place of pilgrimage in the 17th century, when the Ṣafavid rulers built a golden-domed shrine over Fāṭimah’s tomb. The modern city has the largest madrasah (theological college) in the country, where students can specialize in Islamic law, philosophy, theology, and logic.

It was at Qom that the Iranian army surrendered to Islamic revolutionary militia in 1979. Following the Islamic Revolution in Iran early in 1979, the revolution’s principal figure, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini , again took up residence in Qom, whence he had been exiled by the shah, and made the town his seat. Some 10 kings and 400 Islamic saints are interred in Qom and its neighbourhood. Shāh ʿAbbās II is buried there in a special mausoleum richly adorned with 14 fine silk rugs, dated 1666. On the southern side of the city is a group of five mausoleums (mostly 14th century) distinguished by remarkable polychrome stucco ornaments. Qom has developed into a lively industrial centre owing in part to its proximity to Tehrān. It is a regional centre for the distribution of petroleum and petroleum products, and a natural gas pipeline from Bandar-e Anzalī and Tehrān and a crude-oil pipeline from Tehrān run through Qom to the Abadan refinery on the Persian Gulf .

Qom gained additional prosperity when oil fields were discovered at Sarājeh near the city in 1956 and a large refinery was built between Qom and Tehrān. Rural populations migrated to the growing township, and its economic growth accelerated with new investments in the textile industry and the establishment of petrochemical, cement, and brick-making industries. In the 1970s several dams were completed on the upper reaches of the Rūd-e Qom. Similar Topics The Holy City of Qum | Lady Fatima Masuma (a) of Qum | Books on Islam and Muslims | Al-Islam.org Lady Fatima Masuma (a) of Qum 4.1 - Introduction Qum is the smallest province in Iran. It was previously a district belonging to the state of Arāk, then it was attached to Tehran until it was finally certified as an independent province. The province has an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. It is bounded by Tehran and Sāweh to the north, Delījān and Kāshān to the south, and the Salt Lake and Tafresh to the east.

The province includes one city, four regions, nine rural districts and 256 villages. Since it adjoins the central desert, Qum has a semi-desert climate. In 1947 C.E, its population was no more than 150,000 but by the time of the Islamic Revolution in 1979 CE, the population of Qum had reached about 400,000. After the revolution, the city underwent rapid growth and its current population approaches 1,000,000, a large number of whom are religious students coming from all over the world to study in this great centre of Islamic Learning, under the holy patronage and in the blessed presence of Lady Fatima Masuma (A). Aside from being a world-renowned centre of Islamic knowledge, Qum is also: • an agricultural city, producing wheat, cotton, pomegranate, fig, pistachio and melon. • an industrial city, manufacturing carpets, pottery, plastic products and building materials. • a commercial city, due to its location at the crossroads that connects northern Iran to its south, and the vast number of pilgrims.

A slight disadvantage of Qum’s location is that its main water supply is through the salty rivers that come from the mountains around it. 4.2 - The history of Qum In the period just before the advent of Islam, Qum was populated by Zoroastrians. The city was conquered by the Muslims in 23 A.H, under the command of Abū Mūsā Ash`arī, and has remained Muslim since. 1 In 66 A.H, after the uprising of Mukhtār (who was seeking revenge for the murder of Imam Husain (A) in Karbalā), a group of his Shi`a followers from the Banī Asad tribe travelled from Kufa to Qum, and took refuge in the area of Jamkarān. 2 In the year 83 A.H, a large number of Arabs belonging to the Ash`arī tribe of Yemen, migrated and settled in this region and repopulated the city. From the beginning of its Islamic history, the city of Qum became the centre of the Shi`a in the area, and by the end of the first Islamic century, more than 6000 Shi`a had settled in the city.

The Shi`a of this city revolted against the Umayyad caliphs and after the inception of the Abbasid caliphate in 132 A.H, they also remained at odds with the Abbasid caliphs. In the year 200 A.H, when Imam al-Ridā (A) was on his way from Madina to Khurāsān, he passed through Qum, and the house where he stayed was later converted into a Madrasah (an Islamic seminary). 3 In the year 201 A.H, Lady Fatima Masuma (A) came to the city, and after a brief illness, she died and was buried there. Her sacred grave became a pilgrimage site for the Shi`a, and the city of Qum was thereafter popularly called “Qum-e Muqaddas” (the Holy Qum). Over the centuries, Qum emerged as a Shi`a learning centre.

The Islamic Seminaries (al-Hawzah al-`Ilmīyah) in Qum became particularly popular after the Islamic Revolution in Iran and also due to the decline of the seminaries in Najaf, following the persecution of the hostile regime in Iraq. 4.3 - The Islamic Seminaries of Qum Qum is well known for its many religious seminaries and institutes that offer advanced religious studies. These collectively make up the Hawzah (a short form of al-Hawzah al-`Ilmīyah), which presently consists of over 200 education and research centres and organisations, catering for over 40,000 scholars and students from over 80 countries of the world. From the earliest arrival of the Shi`a in the first Islamic century, schools and Madrasahs were set up for learning and propagating the teachings of the Prophet (S) and his household (A). The first of these Madrasahs is attributed to the Ash`arī family, who settled in Qum towards the end of the first century and set up a Hawzah.

When Imam al-Sādiq (A) heard about this establishment, he gave the good tidings of the future greatness of Qum. 4 The Hawzah gained strength and was further blessed with a visit by Imam al-Ridā (A) at the beginning of the third century. The house in which Imam (A) resided was later converted to a Madrasah, known as “al-Radawīyah”. 5 However, it was after Lady Fatima Masuma (A) was buried in Qum, that Shi`a scholars began to gather around her shrine and Qum gained a reputation as a centre of higher religious learning. During this period there were many great Shi`a scholars, including Ahmad ibn Ishāq Ash`arī Qummī, who was the deputy of Imam al-`Askarī (A) in Qum and who was privileged to have been shown the infant Imam al-Mahdī (A). Under the orders of Imam al-`Askarī (A), Ahmad ibn Ishāq built the oldest mosque in Qum today, the Masjid-e Imam.

6 Probably the greatest Qummi scholar of the fourth century was Shaykh Abū Ja`far Muhammad ibn Ali Bābawayh Qummī, popularly known as Shaykh Sadūq (d. 381 A.H). It is famously reported that he was born as a result of the prayer of Imam al-Mahdī (A). The Hawzah continued to gain strength and the sixth century writer, Shaykh `Abd al-Jalīl Rāzī, reported over ten active Madrasahs in Qum at his time. The Safavids, who ruled Iran from 905 A.H until 1135 A.H, were great patrons of the Hawzah and provided financial assistance for the construction of new Madrasahs and for improving the facilities for the students. It was at this time that the Madrasah Faydīyah was built. Great scholars of Qum of this era include, Mullā Sadrā Shīrāzī, (the author of Asfār), and his two illustrious sons-in-law, Mullā Muhsin Fayd and Mullā `Abd al-Razzāq Fayyād.

Shaykh Bahā’ī is also reported to have spent some time in Madrasah Faydīyah during this period. 7 The presence of these great scholars in Qum was a great boost for the Hawzah and their influence persisted in the rule of the Qājārs, who ruled Iran between 1200 A.H and 1339 A.H. During this time, the Hawzah was under the guardianship of great scholars such as, Grand Ayatollah Mīrzā Abū al-Qāsim Qummī, Grand Ayatollah Mīrzā Muhammad Fayd and Grand Ayatollah Shaykh `Abd al-Karīm Hā’irī. Grand Ayatollah Hā’irī (d. 1355 A.H) is credited with reviving the Hawzah of Qum and setting the foundation of the present day organisation. He organised the classes and syllabi, devised a system of examinations, arranged the stipends for the students and brought uniformity to the formal dress of the scholars. During his time, the Hawzah gained world-wide fame and over 3,000 students flocked to Qum to study.

Some of the well known scholars who studied under him were Grand Ayatollah Shaykh Muhammad Ali Arākī, Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Ridā Gulpaygānī and Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ruhullāh Khomeini. After the passing away of Grand Ayatollah Hā’irī, the running of the Hawzah fell to the responsibility of Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Hujjat, then Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Sadr al-Dīn Sadr and then Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Taqī Khānsārī. Then came the era of the eminent scholar, Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Husain Burūjerdī (d. 1380 A.H), under whom the Hawzah gained new heights. He built a great mosque next to the shrine of the Lady Fatima Masuma, called “Masjid-e A`đam”. After the victory of Islamic Revolution in Iran, the political pressure on the Hawzah and religious scholars and students was removed and the activities of the Hawzah were expanded.

At present, a high council of scholars (Shurā-ye `Ālī-ye Hawze-ye `Ilmīyeh-ye Qum) appointed by the Supreme Leader and Grand Ayatollahs (marāji`) supervise the Hawzah. Under this council, there is an administrative body that runs the religious training of over 40,000 students in Qum. Museum of the holy shrine The museum, which is called “the Āstāne Museum”, is attached to the Madrasah Faydīyah, abutting the new courtyard. It contains the gifts and bequests that have made to Lady Fatima Masuma (A) over the years by various well-wishers. Prior to the establishment of the museum in 1314 A.H./1925 C.E, the endowed treasures of the sanctuary which are now on display were stored in what was termed "the treasury". The treasury was deemed necessary by the custodians of the sanctuary after a spate of thefts at the end of the Safavid period.

In 1992 C.E, as a result of the extra acquisitions of the museum, the basement level of the building was refashioned and annexed to the museum. The result was a museum complex, including administrative rooms, display areas and restoration facilities in some 1000 square metres. The displays are on two floors and include costly carpets, coinage, artwork and rare manuscripts of the Holy Qur’an. This mosque was built in 293 A.H, during the Minor Occultation (al-Ghaybat al-Sughrā) of Imam Mahdī (A), and according to his recommendation. The Mosque of Jamkaran - Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Shahāb al-Dīn Mar`ashī Najafī (d.

1411 A.H) writes, “This mosque was established from the earliest days of the Ghaybah… 8 Imam al-Mahdi (A) has been continuously seen at this mosque since that time...Shaykh Sadūq enlarged the mosque and during the Safavid era it was repaired several times...I personally have witnessed numerous miraculous events at this mosque...In short, there is no doubt that this mosque is one of the frequenting places of Imam Mahdi (A), and, after Masjid-e Sahlah in Kufa, it is the most probable site for a viewing of the Imam (A).” 9 The mosque is situated six kilometres to the south-east of Qum, and draws large crowds of pilgrims, especially on Tuesday nights. According to many reports, this is the night on which the Imam (A) visits this mosque. Musallā-ye Quds This is a large mosque situated near Safā’īyeh Square in Qum and is the location for the weekly Friday prayers.

Presently, the three Imams of Friday prayers are, Ayatollah Ali Meshkīnī, Ayatollah Ibrāhīm Amīnī and Ayatollah Jawādī Āmulī. The huge silver-coloured dome of this beautiful mosque, which is currently under construction, is a familiar landmark in Qum. Various shrines of children of the Imams (A) Various members of the family of  (A) migrated to Iran after Imam al-Ridā (A) moved to Khurāsān. After the martyrdom of the Imam (A), many of them came to settle in Qum, the major Shi`i centre at the time. It is estimated that there are over 400 graves of these members of the family of the Imams (Imāmzādehs) in Qum. 10 Some of these graves are within the holy shrine of Lady Fatima Masuma (A). They are situated at different locations in the shrine, some with small domes of their own.

These days, the chambers in which their graves are situated also serve as administrative offices for the various departments in charge of the shrine. Other graves are scattered around the city, for example: • Mūsā Mubarqa`, son of Imam Taqī (A) is buried in Āzar Square, where there is also a large burial site called “Chehel Akhtarān” which was reserved as a burial area for the descendants of the Prophet (S). • Imāmzādeh Ahmad, the grandson of Imam al-Sādiq (A), is buried at “Darvāzeh Qal`eh” in the southern side of Qum.

• Ali ibn Ja`far (A) is buried in “Chahār Mardān.” There is a narration that whenever one visits these graves of the pious descendants of the Prophet (S), one should recite the following salutation: 11 اَلسَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ اَيُّها السِّيِّدُ الزَّكِيُّ، اَلطّاهِرُ الْوَلِيُّ، الدّاعِي الْحَفِيُّ، اَشْهَدُ اَنَّكَ قُلْتَ حَقًّا وَنَطَقْتَ حَقًّا وَصِدْقًا وَدَعَوْتَ اِلَى مَوْلايَ وَمَوْلاكَ عَلانِيَةً وَسِرًّا، فازَ مُتَّبِعُكَ وَنَجَى مُصَدِّقُ

كَ وَخابَ وَخَسِرَمُكَذِّبُكَ وَالْمُتَخَلِّفُ عَنْكَ، اِشْهَدْ لِي بِهِذهِ الشَّهادَةِ لاَِكُونَ مِنَ الْفائِزينَ بِمَعْرِفَتِكَ وَطاعَتِكَ وَتَصْدِيقِكَ وَاتِّباعِكَ، وَاَلسَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يا سَيِّدِي؛ اَنْتَ بابُ اللهِ الْمُؤْتَى مِنْهُ وَالْمَأْخُودُ عَنْهُ، اَتَيْتُكَ زائِرًا وَحاجاتِي لَكَ مُسْتَوْدِعًا، وَها اَنَا ذا ا

َسْتَوْدِعُكَ دينِي وَاَمانَتِي وَخَواتِيمَ عَمَِلي وَجَوامِعَ اَمَلِي اِلى مُنْتَهى اَجَلِى، وَاَلسَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكاتُه There are many traditions narrated from the Prophet (S) and the Imams (A) about the virtues of Qum, and a few are narrated below: 1.

`Affān Basrī narrates that Imam al-Sādiq (A) asked him: أَتَدْري لِمَ سُمِّيَتْ قُمّ قُمّ “Do you know why Qum has been named ‘Qum’?” I answered: ‘God, the Prophet (S) and you are more knowledgeable.’ Imam (A) replied: إِنَّما سُمِّيَتْ قُمّ، لأَِنَّ أَهْلَها يَجْتَمِعُونَ مَعَ قائِمِ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَيَقُومُونَ مَعَهُ، وَيَسْتَقيمُونَ عَلَيْهِ وَيَنْصُرُونَهُ “Qum has been so named because the people of Qum will gather around the Steadfast Imam of the household of the Prophet (S) [Qā’im-e Āl-e Muhammad; Imam Mahdī (A)]; they will make

 a stand (Qīyām) under his banner, stay loyal to him and be helpers for him.” 12 2.

The Prophet (S) narrates that at the time of his Mi`rāj [Ascension to the Heavens], his attention was drawn to a land which stood out [Qum]. He asked Jibrā’īl about it and Jibrā’īl answered: بُقْعَةُ شيعَتِكَ وَشيعَةِ وَصِيِّكَ عَلِيٍّ “This is the land of your Shi`a and the Shi`a of your successor, Ali.” In the beginning of this tradition, it is narrated that the Prophet (S) banished Satan from this area, saying to him: قُمْ يا مَلْعُونُ “Get away, Oh cursed one!” And this is how the name of Qum came about. 13 3.

Imam al-Kāđim (A) has said: قُمّ عُشُّ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَمَأْوى شيعَتِهِمْ، وَلكِنْ سَيُهْلَكُ جَماعَةٌ مِنْ شَبابِهِمْ بِمَعْصِيَةِ آبائِهِمْ وَالإِسْتِخْفافِ وَالسُّخْرِيَّةِ بِكُبَرائِهِمْ وَمَشايِخِهِمْ، وَمَعَ ذالِكَ يَدْفَعُ اللهُ عَنْهُمْ شَرَّ الأَعادي وَكُلَّ سُوءٍ “Qum is the home of the family of the Prophet (S) and a sanctuary for their Shi`a.

However, a group from their youth will be destroyed due to their disobedience to their fathers and their belittling and insulting of their great figures and elders. However, Allah will defend them [the people of Qum] from the evil intent of their enemies and from any unpleasant event.” 14 4.

Imam al-Kāđim (A) has said: رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ قُمّ يَدْعُو النَّاسَ إِلَى الْحَقِّ، يَجْتَمِعُ مَعَهُ قَوْمٌ كَزُبُرِ الْحَديدِ، لا تُزِلُّهُمُ الرِّياحُ الْعَواصِفُ، وَلايَمَلُّونَ مِنَ الْحَرْبِ، وَلا يَجْبُنُونَ، وَعَلَى اللهِ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ، وَالْعاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقينَ “A man from the people of Qum will call the people towards the truth. A group of men will be attracted to him like pieces of iron to a magnet. Strong winds will not shake them.

They will not flinch from war and they will not be afraid; they will trust in Allah; and the [good] end belongs to the pious.” 15 5.

Imam al-Sādiq (A) has said: سَتَخْلُو كُوفَةُ مِنَ الْمُؤمِنينَ وَيَأْزَرُ عَنَهَا الْعِلْمُ كَما تأزَرُ الحَيَّةُ فى جُحْرِها، ثُمَّ يَظْهَرُ الْعِلْمُ بِبَلْدَةٍ يُقالُ لَها قُمُّ، وَيَصيرُ مَعْدِناً لِلْعِلْمِ وَالفَضْلِ حَتَّى لا يَبْقى فِى الأرْضِ مُسْتَضْعَفٌ فى الدّينِ حَتَّى الْمُخَدَّراتِ في الْحِجالِ، وَذلِكَ عِنْدَ قُرْبِ ظُهُور

ِ قائِمِنا “Soon Kufa will become empty of the faithful, and knowledge will go out of Kufa as a snake goes out of its lair.

Then the knowledge will appear in a land called Qum. It will become the centre of knowledge and merits. No-one, not even the women at home, will be unaware of the religion of God. This will be close to the time of the reappearance of our Qā’im (Imam Mahdī).” 16 Islamic Republic of Iran In Iran's Qom western 'infiltration' trumps elections In Iran's Qom western 'infiltration' trumps elections Ali Noorani Share View photos Iranian clerics walk outside the Massoumeh holy shrine in the city of Qom, some 130 kilometres south of Tehran, on February 24, 2016 (AFP Photo/Atta Kenare) More Qom (Iran) (AFP) - While the rest of Iran focuses on an election defined by competing visions for the country, most people in the holy city of Qom declare only one allegiance: to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. A traditionally conservative bastion at the centre of Iran's Shiite faith, the duty to vote in Qom is billed as another means to support the clerical regime's opposition to Western powers.

The city of over one million people has been historically synonymous as the home of Iran's clerics where students are taught Islamic history, jurisprudence and doctrine by grand ayatollahs in ancient schools. It houses the mausoleum of Masoumeh, sister of Imam Reza, the eighth Imam to come after the Prophet Mohammad in Shiite Islam. Each year, hundreds of thousands of worshippers visit. Qom, together with the Iraqi city of Najaf, compete for the world's most venerable Shiite sites. Residents don't seem to rate the prospects of conservatives, political moderates or reformists, who are fighting for dominance in parliament in Tehran. "I only support the supreme leader," Reza Ahmadi, a 65-year-old man wearing a keffiyah scarf, said of Khamenei, the Islamic republic's ultimate authority, as he returned from midday prayers. On Friday, Iranians will pick 290 new MPs and 88 members of the country's Assembly of Experts, a powerful committee of clerics who monitor Khamenei's work. The assembly will also choose his successor if he dies during its looming eight-year term.

Qom will have three representatives in parliament while the city and its eponymous province gets one member in the assembly. - 'Khamenei number one' - Zahra Yazdi, 23, a girl in chador -- a traditional full black veil-- said she would cast her vote "to stop foreigners from influencing my country." "There are some infiltrator elements in Iran who are ordered by foreign powers but our people are smart and ... will stop the infiltration." She will vote "principlist" (conservative) on Friday "because they follow the supreme leader." Other groups, including the reformists, "might seem followers of the leader but in their hearts they are not," she added. Reformists are accused by some conservatives of either being too easy on the West or, worse still, complicit in plots to undermine the Islamic republic, a constitutional theocracy since a revolution in 1979. Such claims remain strong, especially following the disputed 2009 elections where reformist opponents of the re-election of hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were labelled "seditionists".

Asghar Amanabadi, 29, from Arak province in central Iran was on a pilgrimage to Qom with his wife and baby. Standing next to the mausoleum he had to shout over the call of prayers. "Ayatollah Khamenei is the number one figure in our country," Amanabadi said. "We all support him, but the principlists support him more." On the last day of campaigning this week the supreme leader himself said that Iranians want lawmakers who won't be intimidated by the United States. - 'Law is red line' - Khamenei has said there will be no direct talks with Washington on any subject despite nuclear negotiations between Iran and world powers that resulted in a deal last July and the lifting of sanctions last month. Since the nuclear agreement Khamenei has warned that Iran must guard against economic, social and cultural "infiltration" from the United States and other western countries. Amanabadi agreed, saying infiltration was "not unlikely". To him, Iranians should rely on their own rather than accepting "foreign technology" and "losing control" to the foreigners through it.

But 34-year-old cleric Enayatollah Bahmani, from southern Khuzestan province who has been doing religious studies in Qom, said he refused to fall for partisan political bickering. "A true principlist is someone devoted to the revolutionary principles and ideals ... from any political party," he insisted. Still, not everyone showed enthusiasm for the conservatives. "I approve of the reformists more than others," said Zabihollah Sinapour, 26, a visiting student from Yasuj, in southwest Iran. "I prefer to have the law as my red line and reformists have shown compliance to the law better than others." Reblog Qom all ye faithful | The Economist Qom all ye faithful Muted dissent in Iran’s holiest city Jul 23rd 2009 Tweet AT FIRST glance the holy city of Qom, Iran's pre-eminent place of Shia scholarship, still feels pretty conservative. Almost all its women are covered from head to toe. Mullahs saunter by in flowing brown robes. The seminaries are packed with earnest young students, steeped in the values of the Islamic Revolution.

Moreover, the city is home to many of the baseej militiamen who have beaten and killed demonstrators in Tehran, 160km (100 miles) to the north. No demonstrations have taken place in Qom or nearby villages since the disputed presidential election of June 12th. “We can't do anything,” says a jobless 26-year-old university graduate. Like many of his friends, he did not bother to vote, though he complains that the government “isn't working”. Since the poll, security has tightened. Foreigners are routinely held for questioning. Locals say there are informers round every corner. Unlicensed television satellite dishes have been confiscated. Codes banning unmarried couples from consorting in public are rigorously upheld. Yet even here, you meet people who sympathise with the clutch of Qom's senior clergy who have spoken out against the ruling establishment. The discontent is aired quietly, behind closed doors. Under a veneer of calm and unity, you detect splits: between the generations; between the pious and the more secular; between those who listen or have access to the Western media and those who rely on state news.

In this section Reprints Qom has been infiltrated by the same forces of modernisation that have transformed other big cities. In the shadow of Qom's gold-domed Holy Shrine, second in importance in Iran only to the one in Meshed, shops hawk garish women's clothes; in the past, it was illegal to sell even T-shirts. Drugs and alcohol can be found easily if you know where to look. Qom even has its own well-known red-light district, where pious mullahs can get licences to be married just for a few hours or a day to a pretty woman in a custom that is close to abetting prostitution. Still, many young Qomsters feel suffocated—and head north to breathe more freely and to look for work in Tehran. The strength is sapped out of any fledgling open opposition. In any case, liberalism in Qom is relative. Most supporters of Mir Hosein Mousavi, the thwarted presidential contender, still express respect for the controversial incumbent, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, because the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has thrown his weight behind him. “Imam Khamenei is so great,” says a local teacher.

“I trust him completely, and if he says President Ahmadinejad has been doing a good job, then I believe him.” By contrast, in many other places, especially in the northern suburbs of Tehran, many Iranians lambast Mr Khamenei himself for the crackdown against people publicly disputing the election's official result. In Qom, no one, it seems, openly questions his authority. Mullahs in the city's many mosques loudly extol his and the government's view. At Friday prayers, ayatollahs rail against the supposed influence of the West in Iran's affairs and castigate America for its evil deeds. At a 1,400-year-old mosque hidden in a warren of alleys, worshippers rush to the regime's defence. “Our current problems are all because of foreign agents like the BBC,” says a 60-year-old veteran of the Iran-Iraq war. “The protesters have no right to demonstrate. They are criminal rioters.” The fervour of such worshippers is intense. Supporters of Mr Mousavi had the nerve to pepper the bazaar with his picture.

But Mr Ahmadinejad's people soon defaced the posters, in one case knocking a hole in the wall where Mr Mousavi's smiling face had been displayed. Those in Qom who would like to protest are pinning their hopes on like-minded comrades in Tehran keeping up their defiance.

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 : قم‎‎), also spelled as Ghom, is the eighth largest city in Iran .

It lies 125 kilometres or 78 miles by road southwest of Tehran and is the capital of Qom Province . At the 2011 census its population was 1,074,036 (957,496 at the 2006 census, in 241,827 families), [1] comprising 545,704 men and 528,332 women. It is situated on the banks of the Qom River . Qom is considered holy by Shiʿa Islam , as it is the site of the shrine of Fatema Mæ’sume , sister of Imam `Ali ibn Musa Rida (Persian Imam Reza, 789–816 AD). The city is the largest center for Shiʿa scholarship in the world, and is a significant destination of pilgrimage. Qom is famous for a brittle toffee called “ Sohan ” (Persian:سوهان), considered a souvenir of the city and sold by 2,000 to 2,500 “Sohan” shops.

Qom has developed into a lively industrial centre owing in part to its proximity to Tehran. It is a regional centre for the distribution of petroleum and petroleum products, and a natural gas pipeline from Bandar Anzali and Tehran and a crude-oil pipeline from Tehran run through Qom to the Abadan refinery on the Persian Gulf . Qom gained additional prosperity when oil fields were discovered at Sarajeh near the city in 1956 and a large refinery was built between Qom and Tehran. Contents 10.3 Others Geography Qom, the capital of Qom province, is located 125 kilometers south of Tehran, on a low plain. The shrine of Masoumeh, the sister of Imam Reza , is located in this city, which is considered by Shiʿa Muslims holy. The city is located in the boundary of the central desert of Iran (Kavir-e-markazi). At the 2011 census its population was 1,074,036, [1] comprising 545,704 men and 528,332 women.

Qom is counted as one of the focal centers of the Shiʿa both in Iran and around the globe. Since the revolution, the clerical population has risen from around 25,000 to more than 45,000 and the non-clerical population has more than tripled to about 700,000. Substantial sums of money in the form of alms and Islamic taxes flow into Qom to the ten marja -i taqlid or “Source of Imitation” that reside there. [2] The number of seminary schools in Qom is now over fifty, and the number of research institutes and libraries somewhere near two hundred and fifty. [2] Its theological center and the Fatima al-Masumeh Shrine are prominent features of Qom. Another very popular religious site of pilgrimage formerly outside the city of Qom but now more of a suburb is called Jamkaran . Qom’s proximity to Tehran has allowed the clerical establishment easy access to monitor the affairs and decisions of state.

Many Grand Ayatollahs possess offices in both Tehran and Qom; many people simply commute between the two cities as they are only 156 kilometres or 97 miles apart. Southeast of Qom is the ancient city of Kashan . Directly south of Qom lie the towns of Delijan , Mahallat , Naraq, Pardisan City , Kahak, and Jasb . The surrounding area to the east of Qom is populated by Tafresh , Saveh , and Ashtian and Jafarieh. Climate Qom has a hot desert climate ( Köppen BWh) with low annual rainfall due to remoteness from the sea and being situated in the vicinity of the subtropical anticyclone aloft. Summer weather is very hot and essentially rainless, whilst in winter weather can vary from warm to – when Siberian air masses are driven south across the Elburz Mountains by blocking over Europe – frigid.

An example of the latter situation was in January 2008 when minima fell to −23 °C or −9.4 °F on the 15th, whilst earlier similar situations occurred in January 1964 and to a lesser extent January 1950, January 1972 and December 1972. Except for its hot and extremely dry summers, which are due to the city’s relatively low altitude among the hottest in inland Iran, all seasons are suitable for travelling to Qom. Climate data for Qom (1986–2010) Month 172.7 3,134.6 Source: Iran Meteorological Organization (records), [3] (temperatures), [4] (precipitation), [5] (humidity), [6] (days with precipitation and snow), [7] (sunshine) [8] History Ahlolbait Mosque in Qom The present town of Qom in Central Iran dates back to ancient times. Its pre-Islamic history can be partially documented, although the earlier epochs remain unclear.

Excavations at Tepe Sialk indicate that the region had been settled since ancient times (Ghirshman and Vanden Berghe), and more recent surveys have revealed traces of large inhabited places south of Qom, dating from the 4th and 1st millennium BCE. While nothing is known about the area from Elamite , Medes , and Achaemenid times, there are significant archeological remains from the Seleucid and Parthian epochs, of which the ruins of Khurha (about 70 kilometres or 43 miles southwest of Qom) are the most famous and important remnants. Their dating and function have instigated long and controversial debates and interpretations, for they have been interpreted and explained variously as the remains of a Sasanian temple, or of a Seleucid Dionysian temple, or of a Parthian complex. Its true function is still a matter of dispute, but the contributions by Wolfram Kleiss point to a Parthian palace that served as a station on the nearby highway and was used until Sasanian times.

[9] The recently published results of the excavations carried out in 1955 by Iranian archeologists have, however, revived the old thesis of a Seleucid religious building. [10] Besides Khurha, which is already mentioned as Khor Abad at Qomi in the 9th century, the region has turned up a few other remnants from this epoch, including the four Parthian heads found near Qom, now kept in the National Museum of Iran in Tehran. [11] Qomi names Parthian personalities as founders of villages in the Qom area. [12] The possible mention of Qom in the form of Greek names in two ancient geographical works (the Tabula Peutingera and Ptolemy’s geographical tables) remains doubtful. View Of Qom city in a painting in 1723 A.D. The Sasanian epoch offers many archeological findings and remnants, besides the fact that various sources mention Qom. The most interesting building from an archeological point of view is the Qalʿa-ye Doḵtar in Qom itself, which was long thought to have served religious purposes, while more recent research points to an administrative use.

[13] The wider surroundings of Qom also contain numerous traces from palaces, religious, military and administrative buildings. [14] Some of these are mentioned by Qomi, who also names many more fire temples in the urban area of present Qom and its region, of which no archeological traces are left although the location of one fire temple can probably be equated with today’s Masjed-e Emām in the city. [15] According to Qomi, the most important fire temple of the area stood in the nearby village of Dizijan . [16] Tāriḵ-e Qom and some other sources also speak of genuine historical figures of the Sasanian epoch in connection with Qom and its region. They shed new light on the time of the seizure of power by the first Sasanian king Ardashir I , who fought his decisive battles near Qom, [17] and the collapse of the Sasanian empire, which is extensively reported by Ebn Aʿṯam Kufi and the Nehāyat al-erab and names a certain Šērzād as the satrap of the region.

[18] The existence of an urban settlement in the Sasanian epoch is furthermore verified by Middle Persian sources (literary sources, inscriptions, and seals) that mention in the time of Shapur I and Kawād I the names Godmān/Gomān and Ērān Win(n)ārd Kawād, both of which could be identified as Qom. [19] Altogether one can assume that Qom functioned as a small administrative unit throughout the whole Sasanian era. Probably the urban structure of the Sasanian settlement of Qom can be compared with the type of city of Ctesiphon (Or. Madāʾen) and consisted of several villages and little towns with Abaraštejān, Mamajjān and Jamkarān as the bigger settlements that were loosely connected by defense installations. [20] It is difficult to decipher the actual process of the Arab conquest of Qom from the extant Arabic sources.

According to Balāḏori, the first tentative conquest of Qom took place in 23/644 by Abu Musa Ashaari after a few days of fighting (although Abu Musa’s route through Western Persia , as narrated by Balāḏori, appears somewhat confusing). It remains unclear who the defenders of Qom were; probably fleeing Sasanian nobles and local soldiers returning from the great battles against the Arabs formed the core of the resistance. The area remained largely untouched for 60 years after the initial conquest and was probably administered from Isfahan . [21] The first permanent settlement of Arab settlers in Qom took place during the revolts of Mukhtar al-Thaqafi and Moṭarref b. Moḡira b. Šaʿba in 66-77/685-96, when small groups of refugees moved there and Qom itself was affected by the fighting between the Umayyad state power and the rebels [22] The decisive step for the later urban development of Qom occurred when a group of Ashaari Arabs came to the area.

These Ashaaries originated in Yemen and the first important figure among them was the first conqueror of the area of Qom, the above-mentioned Abu Musa Ashaari. ʿAbd-Allāh b. Saʿd and Aḥwaṣ b. Saʿd were grandsons of Abi Musa’s nephew and led the group of Ashaaries that emigrated from Kufa to the region of Qom. It is not exactly clear why they migrated, but it might have also been a general opposition to the Umayyad dynasty. A central element was the early contact with the leading local Zoroastrian Persian noble Yazdanfadar. [23] As the Arabs required a great deal of pasture for their large herds of cattle and were much wealthier than the local Persians, they slowly started to buy land and take over more villages. The decisive step for controlling the area was the elimination of the local Persian noble class that took place after the death of Yazdanfadar in 733.

[24] The emigration and the subsequent settlement and building activities led to the fusion of the original six villages on the area of Qom to an urban conglomerate which probably happened within two generations after the first coming of Arabs. The Fatima Masumeh Shrine in Qom Although a few names of governors and their tax assessments are known from the time after the administrative independence, the death of Fātimah bint Mūsā , the sister of the eighth Imam of Shias Ali al-Ridha in the city in 201/816-17 proved to be of great importance for the later history of Qom. Fātimah bint Mūsā died while following her brother to Khorasan , a region in northern Iran. The place of her entombment developed from 256/869-70 into a building that was transformed over time into today’s magnificent and economically important sanctuary. [25] In 210/825-26 a major rebellion against the tax regulations of the caliphate broke out in Qom.

It was caused by the refusal of the caliph Al-Ma’mun to lower the yearly tax assessment as he had done in Ray. The revolt was lea by an Ashaari named Yahya ibn Emran, maintaining that taxes should not be paid to an unlawful ruler. Yahya was killed by troops sent by the caliph and the citizens were severely punished; the taxes were raised from 2 million to 7 million dirhams. Two years later the taxes were again raised by 700,000 dirham by the Ashaari governor Ali ibn Isa, who was subsequently deposed because he was strongly rejected by the inhabitants of Qom. But in 217/833 Ali returned to the post of governor (wali) and forcefully collected tax debts that were laid upon him by the caliph. He destroyed parts of Qom and handed over a wanted rebel to caliphal authorities under Al-Moʿtasem. Between 225/839-40 and 227/841-42 two contradicting tax assessments were carried out under turbulent circumstances which amounted to a sum of 5 million dirhams.

The names of those involved have survived. [26] The move of a Hadith transmitter from Kufa to Qom, which took place probably in the middle of the 9th century, indicates the increased importance of Qom as a center of Shia learning. At about the same time another military attack on the city occurred in 254/868, when Mofleḥ, the Turkish officer of the caliph Al-Mostaʿin, executed some of its inhabitants because of the city’s refusal to pay taxes. Mofleḥ became governor of Qom and lasted in that position for at least five years. During his governorship important Alids moved to Qom and there are references to close contacts between the representative of the 11th Shia’s Imam, Hassan al-Askari , in Qom and other Qomis. The representative Aḥmad b. Esḥāq was at the same time administrator of the Fāṭema sanctuary and the agent (wakil) responsible for the pensions of the Alids.

[27] The first Friday mosque in Qom was built in 265/878-79 on the site of a fire temple, although there are also confusing reports concerning a possible earlier Friday mosque. [28] In 268/881-82 Qom was occupied by the Turkish military leader Edgu Tegin (Arabic: Yadkutakin b. Asātakin or Aḏkutakin), who tried to collect the tax arrears for seven years which partially ruined the guarantors (some of whom are known) of these taxes. At about the same time the early orthodox Shias achieved their victory in the town. In 280/893-94, at the latest, all extremists (ḡolāt) were driven out of town by the leading shia shaikh of Qom, Aḥmad b. Moḥammed b. Isa Ashaari. Probably one year later the famous Islamic mystic Ḥosayn b. Manṣur Ḥallaj stayed in Qom, where he was arrested.

[29] From 282/895-96 onwards the history of Qom was connected with a family of Turkish military leaders from the army of the caliph Al-Moʿtazed, including the governor Berun (Birun). In the same year Berun destroyed a big and probably still active fire temple located on the territory of the evolving city and probably opposite today’s sanctuary of Fātimah bint Mūsā. In these unstable political times Qom was visited by the vizier of Al-Moʿtazed, Obayd-Allah ibn Solayman, and two tax assessments were organized. [30] An administrative peculiarity of Qom was put to an end at about the same time, to wit the independent appointment of judges through the Arab inhabitants of Qom until the time of al-Moktafi, which, together with the dispatch of a joint Arab-Persian delegation to the vizier Ḥamid ibn Abbas indicate the end of the elevated position of the Arabs in Qom.

The period of the governor Abbas ibn Amr Ganawi (292-96/904-9) is remarkable for the presence of non-Twelver Shias in Qom and the establishment of the office of the jahbaḏ (financial officer) as the tax broker for the city, which fostered local self-determination. [31] In 296/909 Hosayn ibn Hamdan ibn Hamdun was appointed governor of Qom and Kāšān by the caliph Al-Moqtader and had to assist the caliph’s army against the Saffarids in Fars . Altogether he stayed in power only for two years before he had to return to Baghdad. [32] In the years 301/913-14 to 315/927 the people of Qom had, besides another tax assessment (meanwhile the eighth), a caliphal intervention that resulted in the appointment of a governor to stabilize the administrative grip over the region. This move caused more unrest and affected the balance of power in an area that was disputed between the powers of the time (Daylamites, Samanids).

Beginning in 316/928 Qom fell into the sphere of interest of Daylami warlords and was relieved from the direct authority of the caliph, although it changed hands several times between 316/928 and 331/943. The Daylamites brutally exploited the city through harsh taxes. With the firm establishment of Buyids control from 340/951-52 on, the political circumstances were less troubled than before, although the economic situation deteriorated. [33] No outstanding events are reported for the relatively stable political period until 378/988-89, but Qom seems to have been isolated inside Persia because of its Shia creed. At the same time, the Fatima sanctuary was enlarged and the number of sayyeds residing in Qom reached a considerable number. In 373/984 Qom and its environs were affected by the revolt of the Kurdish Moḥammad Barzikāni against the Buyid Fakr-Al-Dawla.

[34] The population amounted to 50,000 inhabitants at the most and consisted of Persians and Arabs who had adopted the Persian of the time [35] as their language and many social customs from the Persians, whose proportion was probably smaller than the Arabs. The Kurds lived in the countryside to the west. The Twelver Shia constituted the great majority of the population and many important Shia scholars of the time came from Qom or lived there. As many as 331 male Alids lived in Qom in 988-89, and they produced a good number of community leaders and there is also mention of one prominent female ʿAlid besides Fātimah bint Mūsā. These Alids descended from the Imams and were supported by pensions. Apart from the Shia mainstream, other Shia sects existed in the city and one can also assume the presence of Sunnies .

Ḏemmis, or followers of other revealed religions ( Jews , Christians , and Zoroastrians ) must have lived in the city, too, as the payment of poll tax (jezya) indicates, although their number can only be very roughly estimated at a few thousand at the end of the 3rd century A.H/9th century and must have shrunk drastically in the 4th/10th century. The majority of these non-Muslims were Zoroastrians, who made their living mostly as farmers. Jews must have lived in Qom as well, but information on them is scant. It is striking that the formerly dominant Ashaaries had lost their leading positions by the end of the 4th/10th century. This points at a new social situation that allowed assimilated Persians to join the local establishment. [36] The city’s topography in the 4th/10th century still reflected the evolutionary merging of the original six villages; these were still separated by fields. The town center was located in the village of Mamajjān, which was connected to other parts of the city on the other side of the river by four bridges.

There were about eight squares whose function is not clear and three mosques within the city. There is almost no information about madrasas. The sanctuary must have still been quite small as only two cupolas are mentioned. A bazaar and bathhouses must have existed, too, as well as certain administrative buildings (prison, mint). Five bigger and eight smaller roads indicate good traffic connections, which were supported by at least three or maybe even nine city gates. [37] Qom was then in a difficult economical and social position. Many houses inside the city as well as bridges and mills were ruined and the roads and agriculture were suffering from an insecure situation. This has to be attributed to difficult social circumstances and excessive taxation. [38] The water supply seems to have been satisfactory and the Ashaaries seem to have undertaken continuous renovation works on the irrigation channels between 733 and 900. The Ašʿaris were also the proprietors of the water rights, which were safeguarded in the water authority (divān-e āb) that regulated the water shares.

The system made the Ašʿaris the wealthiest inhabitants of Qom and stayed in place until 347/958-59, when they were expropriated by the Buyids, which consequently brought about a decline in the whole system of irrigation. Although there were attempts at restoration in 371/981-82, only three of originally twenty-one channels had flowing water which meant enough drinking water was supplied for the population, but the available amount could not have been adequate for agricultural purposes. [39] Altogether the state of cultivation in Qom seems to have resembled that of the other regions of Persia, although the thirty different crops and plants are only indirectly mentioned in connection with the tax assessments. The soil is reported to have good quality and produced big quantities of food. Little is known about animal husbandry in the region, but the considerable number of fifty-one mills existed, of which a fifth was in decay. Legends speak of mineral deposits and mines of silver , iron , gold and lead , while Kurds seem to have produced salt from a lake nearby (see Qom Lake ). The production of chairs, textiles, and saddle equipment indicates craftsmanship.

[40] The city’s taxation has to be distinguished between the more proper rule of the Abbasid tax bureaucracy and the time of the Deylamid warlords where rules were bent arbitrarily. A stunning diversity of taxes is known (often meant to serve the ever greedy Abbasid bureaucracy and the Deylamid and Buyid war machinery) but the Karaj (land tax), which was composed of many different separate sums, was the most important single tax existing in Qom at least since post-Sasanian times. Within the known 18 tax figures ranging over 160 years there are great differences and the tax figures vary from 8 million to 2 million dirhams with a mean value at around 3 million. Interestingly in taxation Qom always followed the solar calendar with its own local variation, starting from the death of the Sasanian Yazdegerd III . A highly differentiated tax administration existed and is known in great detail; 24 tax collectors (ʿommāl) are listed from 189/804-5 to 371/981-82 plus two jahabaḏa who acted as mediators after the attempt to enforce collective responsibility by the taxpayers had failed.

The information in the Tāriḵ-e Qom on taxation also mention by name 21 tax districts (rasātiq) in the region with 900 villages. [41] Little is known about the time until the period of Seljuki dominance. In 387/997, Qom became involved in internal Buyid quarrels and was subsequently unsuccessfully besieged. In 418/1027-28, Qom fell under the rule of Šahryuš from the Kakuyid dynasty and a few years later (1030–40) it became part of the Ghaznavid domain. The Seljuki did not occupy Qom at once but left the town and Jebāl in Kakuyid hands for ten years. From 442/1050-51 on, the city was under Seljuk rule and nothing is known about its fate until 487/1094. Afterwards the growing instability of the Seljuk empire involved Qom in the power struggles between the competing Seljuk factions in Jebāl and the city changed hands many times.

The most stable period seem to have been the 14 years (513-27/1119-1133) when Qom lay in Sanjar’s sphere of power and witnessed the construction of a second Friday mosque. [42] Surprisingly, Qom enjoyed relative prosperity in its economy in the Seljuk period. The rigidly Sunni Seljuks seem to have practiced a pragmatic policy and one of the main sources of this time (ʿAbd-al-Jalil Qazvini) speaks of good relations between the famous vizier Nizam al-Mulk and Seljuk sultans on the one hand, and members of the local nobility on the other. Sultans reportedly visited the sanctuary (although no specific sultan is mentioned by name) and in general no religiously motivated punitive action against Qom is known to have taken place. Under Seljuk rule a considerable number of religious buildings were erected. At least ten madrasas are known by name.

Two Friday mosques seem to have existed in Seljuk times: the old one was renovated and a new one, located outside of the town area, was built in 528/1133-34 by the order of Sultan Togrel II(Persian: سلطان طغرل دوم). Qom must have expanded during this period, but precise reasons for its prosperity are not known. A family of Ḥosaynid Alids was influential and provided a number of community leaders. Another important Shia family was that of the Daʿwidār (Persian: دعوی‌دار), whose members were judges (Arabic: قاضی) in town, which indicates the transformation of Qom from a town governed by the Sunnis to a completely Shai domain. [43] The following epochs of the Eldiguzids and Khawrazmshahs lasted for almost 30 years and brought different systems of rule in quick succession.

The two noteworthy events of this period are the execution of ʿEzz-al-Din Yaḥyā, the naqib of the Shias, by the Tekesh in 592/1196 and the work on the tiles of the sanctuary (probably in 605-13/1208-17), which indicate a certain economic prosperity at a time of unstable political conditions. From 614/1217-18 until the Mongol attack, Qom remained under Muhammad II of Khwarezm . [44] The Mongol invasion led to the total destruction of Qom by the armies of the Mongol generals, Jebe and Sübedei, in 621/1224 and left the city in ruins for at least twenty years, when the sources (Jovayni) tell of the levying of taxes.

Twenty years later, reconstruction and repair works, probably sponsored by some wealthy inhabitants, were being done on the mausoleums of Shia saints in the city, which contradict those sources, such as Ḥamd-Allāh Mostawfi, that describe Qom as a ruined and depopulated city throughout the Ilkhanid period. Besides, the fact that the Ilkhanid vizier Šams-al-Din Jovayni took refuge in the Fātimah bint Mūsā sanctuary in 683/1284, indicates that the city must have experienced at least a modest comeback. The city walls were probably rebuilt and, moreover, four graves of saints are known to have been constructed between 720/1301 and 1365. Additionally some fine tiles are known from this period. Nothing is known about the irrigation systems of the town, but nearby a dam was built in the Ilkhanid period and the local administration must have functioned again, as the name of a judge shows. The agricultural situation is described as flourishing with a variety of cultivated plants and a good supply of water, and legends indicate the use of deposits of mineral resources.

Information exists concerning taxes for the post-Mongolian period. Qom paid 40,000 dinars, but more remarkable is the fact that some of the surrounding rural districts paid as much as Qom or even more, which suggests that the whole administrative structure of districts had also changed. [45] In the late 14th century, the city was plundered by Tamerlane and the inhabitants were massacred. Qom gained special attention and gradually developed due to its religious shrine during the Saffavid dynasty. By 1503, Qom became one of the important centers of theology in relation to Shia Islam, and became a significant religious pilgrimage site and pivot. The city suffered heavy damage again during the Afghan invasions, resulting in consequent severe economic hardships. Qom further sustained damage during the reign of Nader Shah and the conflicts between the two households of Zandieh and Qajariyeh in order to gain power over Iran. Finally in 1793 Qom came under the control of Agha Muhammad Khan Qajar .

On being victorious over his enemies, the Qajar Sultan Fath Ali Shah was responsible for the repairs done on the sepulchre and Holy Shrine of Hæzræt Mæ’sume, as he had made such a vow. The city of Qom began another era of prosperity in the Qajar era. After Russian forces entered Karaj in 1915, many of the inhabitants of Tehran moved to Qom due to reasons of proximity, and the transfer of the capital from Tehran to Qom was even discussed. But the British and Russians defeated prospects of the plan by putting Ahmad Shah Qajar under political pressure. Coinciding with this period, a “National Defense Committee” was set up in Tehran, and Qom turned into a political and military apex opposed to the Russian and British colonial powers. As a center of religious learning Qom fell into decline for about a century from 1820 to 1920, but had a resurgence when Shaykh Abdul Karim Haeri Yazdi accepted an invitation to move from Sultanabad (now called Arak, Iran ), where he had been teaching, to Qom.

[46] In 1964-65, before his exile from Iran, the Ayatollah Khomeini led his opposition to the Pahlavi dynasty from Qom. After the Islamic revolution in 1979, Khomeini spent time in the city before and after moving to Tehran. Governance Authority for the city lies with the Mayor, who is elected by a municipal board. The municipal board is periodically elected by the city’s residents. The Municipal central office is located at the Saheli Street. The mayor of Qom is currently Muhammad Delbari. Old districts Educational institutions Iranian Seminaries Management Centre Qom is well known for its many religious seminaries and institutes that offer advanced religious studies, which made this city the largest center for Shia scholarship in the world. There are an estimated 50,000 seminarians in the city coming from 80 countries, including 6,000 from Pakistan alone. Qom has seminaries for women and some non-Shia students. Most of the seminaries teach their students modern social sciences and Western thought as well as traditional religious studies.

[47] Hawza ‘Ilmiyya Qom (Qom Seminary) The Hawzah (a short form of al-Hawzah al-`Ilmīyah), which presently consists of over 200 education and research centres and organisations, catering for over 40,000 scholars and students from over 80 countries of the world. The modern Qom hawza was revitalized by Abdul Karim Haeri Yazdi and Grand Ayatollah Borujerdi and is barely a century old. There are nearly three hundred thousand clerics in Iran’s seminaries. At present Hossein Vahid Khorasani heads Hawza ‘Ilmiyya Qom. Universities and seminaries Ahl al-Bayt International Community Fordow uranium enrichment facility The Fordow uranium enrichment facility is located 20 miles north east of Qom.

[48] In January 2012 the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced that Iran had started producing uranium enriched up to 20% for medical purposes and that material “remains under the agency’s containment and surveillance.” [49] Iranian authorities state the facility is built deep in a mountain because of repeated threats by Israel to attack such facilities, which Israel believes can be used to produce nuclear weapons. [50] However, attacking a nuclear facility so close to a city considered so holy in Shia Islam brings concern of a potential risk of a Shiite religious response. [51] Qom space center Qom space center is, with the Emamshahr space center, one of the two places where the Iranian Space Agency is launching its suborbital Shahab 3 ballistic missiles . Twin Towns & Sister Cities Trailer: Iran, Qom - YouTube Trailer: Iran, Qom Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later.

Published on May 5, 2016 As the world center of Shia studies, the city of Qom is a unique city due to the Holy Shrine of Hazrat Masumeh, Jamkaran Mosque, and international students in seminary schools from 100 countries. Follow PressTV Documentaries on: Iran Country Code 98 Country Code IR About Iran Hide CountryCode.org is your complete guide to make a call from anywhere in the world, to anywhere in the world. This page details Iran phone code. The Iran country code 98 will allow you to call Iran from another country. Iran telephone code 98 is dialed after the IDD. Iran international dialing 98 is followed by an area code. The Iran area code table below shows the various city codes for Iran. Iran country codes are followed by these area codes. With the complete Iran dialing code, you can make your international call. Rial (IRR) Languages Persian (official) 53%, Azeri Turkic and Turkic dialects 18%, Kurdish 10%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 7%, Luri 6%, Balochi 2%, Arabic 2%, other 2% Electricity

Question: The city of Qom is in which country?
Answer: Iran